Great Barrier Reef. Photo: PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE. Used under Creative Commons license.

A $6.3 billion coal mine project in the Galilee Basin in Queensland that could impact the Great Barrier Reef, has been halted by Tony Burke, Australian environment minister. The Alpha project is the first of several major coal projects in the northern Australian state that are being pushed by Campbell Newman, the state premier, who gave it the go-ahead in late May.

‘‘I don’t have the level of trust in the Queensland government which I wish I had,’’ Burke told reporters. ‘‘I cannot trust them with Queensland jobs. I cannot trust them with the Great Barrier Reef and that’s why I’ll be taking the action I’ve described.’’

Just two weeks ago another ship – the ID Integrity from Hong Kong – broke down off Cairns, provoking a warning from activist group GetUp! which is also campaigning against the coal mining. "The incident should be of concern to all Australians. It's more likely to occur in the future as we see more and more ships use the Great Barrier Reef to export coal," GetUp! national director Simon Sheikh told ABC Radio.

“The globe is sadly groaning with debt, poverty and strifeAnd billions now are pleading to enjoy are better lifeTheir hope lies with resources buried deep within the earth …

Develop North Australia, embrace multiculturalism and welcome short term foreign workers to our shoresTo benefit from the export of our minerals and oresThe world’s poor need our resources: do not leave them to their fate”